


The Gift Exchange

by Hugglez4eva (LostTribe)



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, No Beta, Secret Santa, TUA Secret Santa 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21964510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostTribe/pseuds/Hugglez4eva
Summary: When the Hargreeves decide to do a gift exchange, Diego has a difficult time finding a gift for Vanya. (Super short and simple.)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	The Gift Exchange

**Author's Note:**

  * For [siolasart](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=siolasart).



> \- AU where the apocalypse was stopped and they don't know Vanya has powers. The apocalypse was stopped before that happened I guess? idk just go along with it please.
> 
> \- For the [TUA Secret Santa exchange on Tumblr](https://secret-santa-klaus.tumblr.com/rules)
> 
> \- This is my first time trying to write Diego. Please be kind.

Diego had done a lot of challenging things in his time. Fighting bad guys with the Umbrella Academy was very difficult, despite having a team. Taking on criminals as a vigilante was often arduous as well. Jail was no picnic either. Yet, despite having done all of these things, somehow the task before him was proving to be the most grueling thing he had ever done: Buying a gift for Vanya Hargreeves. 

It was Vanya and Allison’s idea. They were the ones to realize that the family was going to be together for the holidays for the first time since they were teens. Any gift giving had been done on the down-low, holidays being something not outwardly celebrated in the Hargreeves household. (Holidays, Reginald had said, were simply an excuse for less training.) Now that their old man was gone, they had the chance to truly enjoy a Christmas together. 

The large tree was already sitting in the mansion. Lights and decorations had been sprawled about different areas. Each little section looked different from the next, dependent entirely on who decorated that portion of the house. Though the differences made it a little bit chaotic, there remained a festive feeling to the whole look. The only thing that was missing was gifts. 

This is when Allison suggested they purchase each other gifts. Vanya refined the idea. Being of less money than Allison, and recognizing that a few of her brothers may be in the same financial circumstance, Vanya had an alternate plan. They would each pull one name out of a hat, and purchase a gift for that particular person. Everyone had agreed to this new arrangement. The names were pulled, and Diego found himself reading off the name “Vanya Hargreeves.”  
Now, Diego was driving around town, looking for any sort of inspiration. Klaus was in the back, making plenty noise, whispering seemingly to himself. The sound was so consistent, that Diego grew capable of drowning it out. Like white noise for someone to sleep, it became the tones which helped carry Diego’s thoughts. 

He passed by a flower shop. Did Vanya like flowers? Diego realized he didn’t really know what she liked. There had never been a reason for him to focus too hard on Vanya’s preferences or interests. A lot of times, he actively avoided opportunities to learn about her. Particularly after the book.  
The book. Thinking about it now made him angry once more. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. Remembering Vanya’s words that she had written for all to see flooded his mind with a number of items to buy her, ranging from thoughtless to mean: A matchbox. Some coal. Her own book. (“Thought you could use the boost in sales,” he would say.) The trio of items together would suggest she should burn her book, a sentiment that curved the corners of his mouth into small smile. 

He shook his head. This was against his plan. This holiday, he had decided, would be an opportunity to make amends. An opportunity to, somewhat begrudgingly, put the past behind him. Allison had encouraged this gentler thinking. While he had made no indication that he agreed to it, the thought had been kept at the front of his mind until it grew into a desire of his own. 

The next shop to catch his eye was a lingerie shop. The “nope” in his mind was so loud, he had to wonder if he had said it out loud.  
“Oh, this is perfect.” The voice came from the back seat. Klaus, of course, had hitched a ride. “You can let me out here.”  
Diego gladly pulled over, waiting for Klaus to exit. The former looked again out the window. 

“You think Luther wants lingerie?” Diego raised an eyebrow. 

“No, not here. There,” said Klaus, motioning off towards some other, equally questionable shop. 

Diego paused, trying to determine if he should speak up. Remembering the gift was going to be for Luther, he decided otherwise.  
“Okay,” he said. “Have fun.” 

Klaus stepped out and wandered off, leaving Diego truly alone with his thoughts. As he continued driving, he felt more resentful. Why did he have to buy a gift? Why did he have to buy a gift _for Vanya_? There were easier people to get gifts. He knew for certain what Klaus would want (whether he’d buy it or not was a different kind of conflict.) Five would probably be easy. If it was coffee or a nice drink, he’d be set. His gift to Luther would probably be something monkey-themed (and not in the spirit of making amends.) His mind continued to avoid the task at hand, determining what gift he would buy for everyone else in the family. By the next block, he had a full list for everyone except Vanya, including Pogo and Mom. 

He almost stopped his car suddenly. He realized something in this moment: No one was getting a gift for Pogo or Mom. This was an egregious oversight – and a convenient excuse for Diego. The whole event must be re-done. Never matter if most of the others had already purchased their gifts; they must re-draw new names with Mom and Pogo included. Diego saw the chance to get a new name, and an easier person for whom to buy a gift. 

He pulled over, finding a place to park with a meter. After loading the meter with several minutes worth of change, he set off quickly. He crossed one, street. Then another street. Another turn around a street, and he saw what he was looking for: A payphone. 

The phone on the other end rang twice before someone answered. 

“Hello?” Allison. Just the voice Diego wanted to hear. 

“We have to cancel the gift exchange,” said Diego. 

“Why?” asked Allison. She said the word with an incredulous tone before Diego could even explain himself. 

“Mom and Pogo aren’t included. You really think, after all they’ve done, that they shouldn’t be a part of this? And don’t feed me some lines about how Mom isn’t a person.” 

“Oh,” said Allison. Her voice was much smaller now. Diego felt himself start smiling; he was winning. 

“I thought I told you,” she said. “We thought we should go in together and buy them a gift. They’ve done so much for us. I mean, they took care of us more than Dad ever did. They deserve something nicer. I was hoping you could pick something for Mom? You know her the best.”

Diego felt his heart sinking. A swirl of guilt and gratitude and affection mixed in his core. Allison had considered everything, including how kind their mom had been to them. Diego was touched that she entrusted him with picking something for their mom, a much easier purchase for him. This also meant that Diego was stuck still choosing something for Vanya.

“Diego?” He hadn’t said anything for several minutes, wasting change in the process. 

“That’s,” he started before he stumbled over his words. “That’s a good idea.” 

“Great!” She said. “Let me know what you have in mind and I’ll buy it if you don’t have time. It’ll be nice to finally do something for her.”

“Yeah,” agreed Diego. Throughout his life, their mom had been there for all of them. No matter when or what was going on, she always knew just what to say or do. Mom knew each of them better than anyone, knowing exactly what they wanted or needed at anytime. 

A light bulb switched on in his mind. Where there had been a dark fog, now clarity resided. He had no idea what to get Vanya – but there was someone who would. 

“Actually,” he started. “Can you put Mom on the line?”

The day arrived. The children, now adults, were gathered together near their oversized tree. Eight gifts were beneath, humbled by the size of the evergreen fir looming over them. Each one had a tag with their own individual “to” and “from.” Allison ceremoniously handed them out. Vanya helped, giving them to her siblings with less formality. 

Each was opened simultaneously, for which Diego was grateful. Despite the help with his gift, he was, for reasons he couldn’t explain, nervous to see her reaction. Now he could ignore what she did when she saw the present exposed for what it was. 

He could also ignore the modest piece of jewelry Luther had given Allison, paying no mind to how in awe she looked, despite owning pieces twice as beautiful.  
There was no reason to notice the puzzle of the earth from space that Klaus had given Luther, though Diego heard Klaus declare “so you could remember the view from up there!” 

He missed Five’s eyes grow wide with interest at his new coffee maker and collection of exquisite roasts – the closest expression he would give to a smile. (Allison still recognized it as gratitude.)

Vanya’s brief, insecure muttering about the skirts she gave Klaus got Diego’s attention. (“This way,” she said, “you don’t have to borrow Allison’s. And they can be more in style?”) His mind suggested her apprehensive muttering had been about his gift. Listening more closely gave him a sense of comfort, before reminding him to stop paying attention for when she actually saw his gift. 

Instead, he focused on the gift he held in his own hands. It was a beautiful set of throwing knives gifted by Five. (When asked how they were obtained, Five mumbled something about not asking too many questions.) The blades shined gloriously, the glint from the sun looking crisp and clear and marvelous. Both the handles and blades had an intricate, interwoven design engraved near the edges. These were the type of blades that could become a calling card, a warning to any criminals that saw them that the Kraken was on their trail. 

“Diego!” he heard cried out. When he turned his head, he saw Vanya looking into the now-opened box. She looked at him, something like wonder on her face. “This is amazing. How did you know?”

“Don’t get use to it,” he said dryly. He turned his attention back to his new blades. The poker face was strong with this one, refusing to let him show how pleased he was with her reaction. How, almost more than the knives he had received, getting her gift right made this a great Christmas for him. 

Yet, when Vanya went in for a hug, Diego didn’t protest.


End file.
